F1 Belgian GP 2020 Winners And Losers

Lewis Hamilton won the 2020 F1 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps in dominant fashion ahead of Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas. Bottas was the only driver with a car capable of challenging Hamilton and he was never a factor in winning at a circuit that is regarded as one the best in the world. Clearly Mercedes were one of the winners of the seventh round of the 2020 F1 season. Let’s see who the winners and the losers were.

Winners

Renault - It is easy to troll Renault given their struggles since their return to F1 as a constructor in 2016. Daniel Ricciardo leaving the team at the end of 2020 was another blow for the team before the start of the season. Things have been looking up for them of late, though. The team appeared to be fast at the Silverstone races and they had by far and away their best weekend of 2020 today. Ricciardo was fourth ahead of teammate Esteban Ocon who was fifth. The cherry on top was Ricciardo getting an extra point for setting the fastest lap of the race. The team’s haul of 23 points keeps them sixth in the constructors’ championship, but brings them into the fight for third. McLaren-Renault currently hold that position with 68 points, ahead of Racing Point-BWT Mercedes on 66 and Ferrari on 61. Renault now have 59 points and will be gunning for more points at Monza next week.

Pierre Gasly - A sensational move on Sergio Perez through Eau Rouge was the highlight of Gasly’s sensational performance at Spa. Although he was just eighth, he was good enough to have been fifth had a crash not prompted a safety car period. Gasly’s Alpha Tauri-Honda had the right combination of low drag and high power to help it fly past cars on Spa’s long straights. F1’s fans voted the Frenchman as the driver of the day and it was very well deserved. 

Mercedes - What more can be said about this team that is dominating F1 like no other in the history of the sport. With literally zero competition from the other teams and a team hierarchy where Valtteri Bottas is no threat to Lewis Hamilton. Even the Mercedes pitwall works against Bottas in case he ever challenges Hamilton. The six-time world champion took his 89th career win, to be just two behind Michael Schumacher’s record tally of wins. Mercedes now has 264 points out of a maximum possible of 308 after seven rounds. Red Bull Racing-Honda are way behind in second place with 158 points. Ten more rounds remain in 2020 and the team with the biggest budget in F1 looks likely to keep extending its advantage. 

Losers

Ferrari - Who else but Ferrari would lead the list of losers from the Belgian GP? Every team except Ferrari were faster around Spa in 2020 as compared to 2019, the year Charles Leclerc took the first win of his career. Losing power after an FIA sanction on their power unit was not the only reason Ferrari were only 13th and 14th. Yup, 13th and 14th for a team that qualified first and second at this very venue last year. Hydraulic issues for Charles Leclerc led to him finishing behind Sebastian Vettel. The next round of the championship, the Italian Grand Prix at Monza is likely to be even worse for Ferrari. 

Alexander Albon - With Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas consistently qualifying well and finishing in the top three for Mercedes, Red Bull are not getting the help they need from Albon to challenge for the constructors’ title. The Thai driver was sixth in the race behind both Renault drivers and lies fourth in the drivers’ championship. That fourth place, however, is 62 points behind Max Verstappen who is second in the championship, 47 points behind Hamilton. Much more is needed from Albon if Red Bull want to at least delay Mercedes wrapping up the title.